House of Commons - Environmental Audit

Select Committee on Environmental Audit Minutes of Evidence

ANNEX 1

POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL USES OF GENETICALLY ENGINEERED ORGANISMS

Improve nutritional quality of food crops.

Decrease dependence on chemical pesticides by construction of effective microbial pesticides.

Increase plant tolerance and resistance to pathogens and pests.

Decrease crop sensitivity to chemicals such as herbicides.

Increase plant tolerance to environmental stresses.

Increase crops yields by manipulating photosynthesis.

Improve soil quality.

Control weeds.

Water pollution reduction.

Clean up oil spills.

Decomposition of organic wastes.

Cloud seeding, snow making.

Mining: bacterial retrieval of low-concentaction metals.

Increased energy production from organic biomass.

Oil recovery.